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Vegetable plants used to be considered ugly. Their image was so tacky, elegant gardeners invariably shunned them.

“What? Plant carrots and tomatoes? But they would ruin the look of the garden,” an imperious Oakville woman huffed to me once, when I asked why she had no veggies growing in her spacious backyard.

How times change. Edible gardening has become so “in”, you’re now considered rather old fashioned and out of it if you aren’t into growing garlic, heirloom tomatoes and weird kinds of kale. The people behind this shift are young urbanites, says Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society, and they have no interest in “conventional” gardens, thank you very much. They just want to plant stuff they can eat.

I have mixed feelings about all this, because while growing our own food is fun and a good idea, the plant world provides so many other joys. But if you’re part of the new movement, here’s the perfect thing: Toronto’s annual Edible Garden Container Photo Contest.

To win, submit a photo of something edible that you grew in a container this summer. It could be any veggie, herb or fruit, or a combination of those. There are only two restrictions: they must be planted in a container that you recycled or handcrafted yourself, and 75 per cent of the plants in that container should be edible.

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“The idea is to be creative. We’ve had some inventive entries, with people using old beer bags and a pink cosmetics bag. But we’d like to see more,” says organizer Fern Mosoff.

Spearheading the competition are three local organizations — Toronto Balconies Bloom, Riverdale Food Working Group and Toronto Green Community. The aim is to get people with limited space, like condo balconies and tiny backyards, excited about growing food.

Some impressive sponsors are taking part. With the right photo, you could win a prize from California-based Renee’s Garden (one of my fave seed suppliers, because her offerings always work), plus a free consultation with a Toronto Master Gardener and a gift certificate from Sheridan Nurseries.

“In a summer of drought like 2012, all growers have had to get creative in order to keep their plants hydrated,” says Mosoff. “But container gardeners are an ingenious bunch. We’re curious to see what crops they’ve been potting this summer.”

Winners will be chosen by a panel of three volunteer judges. One is Australian Cecilia Macaulay, who has become an international expert on growing food in cities.

Act fast to get the judges’ attention, though. The closing date for the contest is only hours away. Photos (you’re allowed to submit two) must be received on line by midnight, Sunday Sept. 30.

Send entries to:tbb@bell.net For full details, go to torontobalconiesbloom.ca

Sonia’s latest book, The Untamed Garden, A Revealing Look At Our Love Affair With Plants, is about another perennially hot topic: sex. It has won Best Book of the Year from the U.S.-based Garden Writers’ Association. More at soniaday.com

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